Did You Know?

Texting Makes Crashes More Likely
According to the Strategic Highway Safety Plan, a texting driver is 23 times more likely to get into a crash than a non-texting driver.

Distractions Contribute to Highway Crashes
Over 90 percent of highway crashes are caused by inattention, driver error and lack of knowledge, among other causes, incident reports show.

25% of Teens Text and Drive
25 percent of teens respond to a text message once or more every time they drive, according to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.

Focus Forward

Whether operating a vehicle, riding a bicycle or simply strolling down the sidewalk, remaining aware of your surroundings and focusing on the path in front of you is important. Everyone can do their part to minimize distractions on the road, in the bike lane and on foot, improving safety conditions for all travelers.

What counts as a distraction? A distraction is any activity that diverts a person’s attention from the primary task of getting from point A to point B.

By keeping your Focus Forward and your mind engaged, you are helping keep yourself and other road users safe.

Intersection Safety

Intersections are planned points of conflict where people cross paths as they travel from point A to point B. To reduce potential crashes at these points of conflict, intersections feature enhanced safety elements such as street lighting, increased signage and signals and crosswalk striping. But intersection safety is more than just following traffic signals.

Travelers in all modes of transportation encounter each other at intersections, which is why smart #IntersectionInteractions are fundamental to staying safe on the road. These interactions result from understanding how you’re intended to move through an intersection and making decisions that ensure the safety of all road users – pedestrians, drivers and bicyclists. Any time you approach an intersection, make sure you #KnowWhenToGo.

Failure To Yield

Yielding is all about YOUR safety. When you fail to yield right-of-way, you take a risk that puts you and the other travelers (drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians) on the road in potential danger. In any yielding situation, make sure you #KnowWhenToGo.

Anytime there is a yield sign present, you must yield right-of-way to all other vehicles and pedestrians.

If you’re waiting to cross the street and there is no pedestrian crosswalk signal present, you have the right-of-way only when the street is clear for you to begin crossing without causing a driver or bicyclist to slow down.

When making a left turn you must yield to all oncoming traffic including right turning vehicles, unless the right turn lane has a yield sign. A right turning vehicle with a yield sign must yield to all other traffic at the intersection regardless of where they are coming from.

The Fight For The Streets

Pedestrians

Pay attention to your surroundings and give nonverbal signals to the drivers and bicyclists around you to let them know where you’re headed. Be an intelligent pedestrian, not an entitled one.

Bicyclists

When bicycling, it’s up to you to make sure you ride your bicycle in a way that makes others around you comfortable. Treat yourself as a vehicle.

Drivers

As the captain of your car, it’s your duty to act responsibly behind the wheel. Drive like your family is in the car, in the crosswalk or on the bicycle next to you.

Transit

Transit service in and around Auburn is a viable means of transportation and a great alternative, but the rules are different than for yellow school buses. Know the differences so you can stay safe.